New Vendor Compliance Cabinet Formed to Help City Agencies 'Get Stuff Done'

NEW YORK – The New York City Mayor's Office of Contract Services (MOCS) announced today the convening of the Vendor Compliance Cabinet ("the Cabinet"), a body responsible for identifying gaps in policies and procedures that make it difficult for agencies to enforce compliance. Co-chaired by MOCS Director Lisa Flores and the Mayor's Office of Risk Management and Compliance (MORMC) Director Marjorie Landa, the Cabinet is composed of representatives from New York City's agencies with health and human services contracts (HHS agencies). The Mayor's Office for Nonprofit Services (MONS) Director Karen Ford will serve as special advisor to the Cabinet.

Rebuilding relationships with City contractors – especially with nonprofit providers – is a top priority for the Adams administration. The formation of the Cabinet is a direct response to the administration's promise to take swift action to address issues with contract processing and payment. In February 2022, the Joint Taskforce to Get Nonprofits Paid on Time (the "Taskforce") found that significant delays in contracting and payment resulted from the City's processes that require agencies to conduct vendor responsibility determinations for each contract. Recognizing that most HHS vendors are responsible stewards of City dollars issues and the City often holds multiple contracts with the same vendors, the Taskforce recommended the creation of new tools to enable the City to more effectively use its resources to identify and address integrity issues with City vendors.

"New York City's accountability professionals are coming together to rethink policies and regulations that have significantly delayed the contracting process and payment for our City's nonprofit partners," said New York City Mayor's Office of Contract Services Director Lisa Flores. "The Vendor Compliance Cabinet is more than just a body of procurement and oversight professionals; it is a foundation to completely reimagine the way the City does business with human service providers. For the first time in New York City history, we are empowering City agency leaders to review and revise Citywide contract policy that impedes the City's ability to deliver the crucial services New Yorkers need to live and thrive. This is an exciting next step to achieving our goal of a more seamless, accessible and equitable contracting process."

"The Vendor Compliance Cabinet gives City agencies the opportunity to share information and learn what each other is doing, particularly as concerns the vendors we all work with," said New York City Mayor's Office of Risk Management and Compliance Director Marjorie Landa. "It's a proven model that will help ensure that the City coordinates work, and speeds up solutions to common concerns."

"Bringing key decision makers together in each city agency, focused on sharing relevant information will strengthen our commitment to improving the contracting experience for our Nonprofit Business Partners," said New York City Mayor's Office for Nonprofit Services Executive Director Karen Ford.

The Cabinet will convene monthly to discuss challenges and obstacles to the City's contracting process and purpose solutions designed to eliminate unnecessary process burden and increase compliance. Ultimately, working to meet the administration's goals of:

• Increasing the transparency of vendor compliance and accountability.
• Reducing risks and costs by closing policy gaps and identifying savings.
• Strengthening contract oversight and management practices.
• Gaining contracting efficiencies through strategic risk management.

The Cabinet is scheduled to meet in June 2023. Agency Members are:

New York City Administration for Children's Services

• Michael Walker, Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Richard Beck, Associate Commissioner
• Alane Ruchman, Chief of Staff
• Karri Mayhan, Assistant Commissioner

New York City Department of Corrections

• Carlo Difava, Acting Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Keesha Smartt, Director of Compliance/MWBE Officer
• Melissa Pride-Thomas, Contract Payment Coordinator
• Kevin Phillips, Internal Auditor

New York City Department of Education

• Elisheba Lewi, Chief Procurement Officer
• Danya Labban, Auditor General
• Joshua Richardson, Director of Compliance

New York City Department of Social Services

• Vincent Pullo, Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Bedros Boodanian, Chief Accountability Officer
• Toshia McKnight, Special Counsel

New York City Department for the Aging

• Erkan Solak, Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Kristen Fitzgerald, Senior Advisor, Bureau of Financial Services

New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

• Sarah Packman, Assistant Commissioner
• Michelle DeFreitas-Withim, Executive Agency Counsel, Contracts
• Judi Soehren, Chief Contracting Officer, M/WBE Officer

New York City Department of Probation

• Eileen Parfrey-Smith, Agency Chief Contracting Officer

New York City Department of Small Business Services

• Anthony Dell'Olio, General Counsel
• Daryl Williams, Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Ismail Mohamed, Assistant Commissioner for Fiscal

New York City Department of Youth and Community Development

• Chris Lahey, Acting Auditor General
• Dana Cantelmi, Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Caroline Press, General Counsel

New York City Housing Preservation and Development

• Ledwin Martinez, Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Alexandra Guadeloupe, Senior Project Manager, Office of Neighborhood Strategies

New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice

• Candice Julien, Chief Operating Officer
• Xiong Huang, Senior Auditor